It's Cold Out There

[Kai]

Kai hadn’t wanted to come out here. When he’d heard about the trouble in Ising, the frost giants, the possible impending doom and the ships leaving to provide aid and to fight the monsters off, he’d barely given it a second thought. The Frozen Continent was forever away from where he was, and from the bowels of the passes in the Umayyad Mountains, thoughts of the coast and ships were far away at best. There was too much to do in the guild – too many pupils to train, too many threats to banish. And that was without taking Pari into consideration.

The half-demon forced away thoughts of his partner. He was a mix of angry and glad that she’d made him come out here. To home. Kai hadn’t seen Ising since he’d been a child, and that was over half a century ago. But it was still home.

Sighing deeply, he peered down at the slate grey waters thrashing beneath him on the ship. His breath clouded the air heavily, and a soft snow was just beginning to fall overhead. Beneath his feet, the wood creaked and shifted, and Kai straightened up to rub at his tired eyes. He hated the sway of the ship, and when he wasn’t trying not to heave up over the side of it he was struggling to keep calm. Sleep did not come easy.

He dressed warmly, in furs and leathers to ward off the biting cold, but he was unused to the weight of it. Drumming his fingers over wood glazed by ice, Kai tugged at the hood of his cloak. It was pure white, made from some giant beast’s pelt, but he wore it mainly for the wide hood, which was drawn up around his face. It hid his peculiar ears, which were pressed back against his head. It made things muffled and hard to hear, but at the same time Kai would rather that than to be penalised for what he was. It had taken decades to be accepted among the Kashani Sand Snakes, and he didn’t expect to be accepted here at all.

A strange way to think of things, though, considering the calibre of his shipmates. The ship had stopped at numerous ports on the way to Ising, but Kai had been careful to keep out of the way of the other passengers. He didn’t want to get under their feet. But today they were to get their first glimpse of the continent, and he had to be there to see home.

[Amaya Ashikawa]

Beautiful and deadly; those were her first impressions of Ising. Everything was pure white, from this distance looking undisturbed and perfect. The white stretched out as far as the eye could see, somewhere along the lines merging in with the sky, which was hidden behind a blanket of thick cloud. Even the waters were white, huge chunks of ice drifting by, making the whole ship shudder when they bumped together. These were dangerous waters and up ahead the ice froze so solid and so thick that the ship wouldn’t be able to break through, not even with the metal ice breaker attached to the front of it. The adventure would start soon, which was good because Amaya wasn’t sure that she could last much longer on this god-forsaken ship.

On the best of days travelling by ship wasn’t the most comfortable of experiences with the close quarters, limited food supplies and rotten company. Add trying not to bleed every person on board dry into the mix and it all became almost unbearable. Amaya wasn’t in control, she was far from in control, but that was why she had assigned herself to this mission. If she died out here in the frozen wastes no-one would ever have to know of her shame; she could at least attempt to bring a little honour back to her family. Plus, out here she was well out of the reach of the vampires and a certain Jagger alike.

You see, Amaya’s problem was that she was dead, but not at the same time. She had become a vampire, which was a touch inconvenient because she also happened to be the most renowned vampire slayer in the whole of Hagakarin. By rights she should have thrown herself into the light or found someone to chop her head off by now, but, as much as she hated herself, she just couldn’t bring herself to end it all. Through her Niobara links she had heard about the expedition to Ising and without thinking about it she’d hopped on the next boat out of Hagakarin.

She stood at the prow of the ship, dark hair streaming out behind her. Her amber eyes glittered brightly against her pale skin, a beautifully patterned scarf wrapped over her mouth and nose; she didn’t feel the cold, the kerchief was to try to block out the stench of life which infested the ship. The expensive furs and leathers she was wrapped in were all to try and prevent the others on the ships from growing suspicious of her, though her solitary ways had done that.

“Well, let’s kill us some ice giants.” She murmured, pulling her fur-lined hood up as she turned away from the prow of the ship, smiling a little behind her scarf. Finally time to do something she was comfortable with.

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[Malus Grimm]

It was all rather melancholic. Everything in Ísing was cold, bland and white. Well, at least cold for the humans and whatever else was roaming around on the ship. The crisp white extended for miles. It seemed aside from the sky, the only color the chilly blue waters of the ocean licking up on the icebergs. But even the dark, freezing water and soft grey sky didn't break up the melancholic feel of the place. Grimm had determined it was the emotions surging through his body that had caused him to have such a despairing outlook on the place. Now certainly wasn't the time to be feeling of all things. He had a lot of work ahead of him.

The word had traveled from mouths of humans, elves, and others alike. Something about an adventure and some Frost Giants. The keepers had told him too, there was an influx of souls ahead - either way, now Grimm had to go along for the ride. If it hadn't been for the occasional person falling ill and dying on the ship, the Reaper would have gladly just teleported to Ísing. But nothing could ever really be that simple. Grimm sighed, his head resting against the side of the ship, as he stared blankly at the ocean waters.

It had been a very depressing trip so far. Silly human emotions pervading his mind and body, making him sick - he was sad and then happy. It was exactly like this damn ship, rocking back and forth relentlessly, Grimm had decided. The celestial being straightened, running a hand impatiently through his tousled brown locks. He had realized only then that his fur-lined hood had fallen down, and the ruse of being cold had been forgotten. Grimm yanked his hood back up, pretending to shiver as a ship mate stared at him wide-eyed. He shrugged at the man, before meandering leisurely about the top deck.

He batted at the falling snow annoyed as it caught in his eyes and hood. "Fucking snow and stupid pretending to be cold." Grimm muttered sourly, rolling his shoulders. His sharp blue eyes caught a glimpse of someone, concealed by a cloak almost as white as the surroundings of the ship. Something was decidedly off about whoever mingled beneath the warm layer of pelt, and clothing. Grimm moved closer, sidling up next to whatever it was, peering curiously at the white pelt cloak.

"Can I touch it?" He asked quietly, glancing at the man's hands as they drummed against the icy wood.

[»Kamui Syvil VII]

Tucked away in a lonely corner of the deck, behind some frost covered barrels, was a large bundle of black fur, almost propped up like a miniature tent. It was a shaggy cloak, not the highest quality, but it did its job well enough. There was some squirming underneath, followed by a head of messy orange hair poking its way out. With a yawn, Kamui groggily stared for a moment at the grain of wood on the barrels. His stomach was grumbling. It seemed like he had slept for most of the trip, conserving his energy. It was all he could do to not ravage the ship's food supplies, which wouldn't have exactly endeared himself to his fellow travelers. He disentangled himself from the cloak, throwing it off to reveal his animal companions snuggled next to him. Sakurako's thick, white coat offered her resistance to the biting cold. Her breed had originated in the colder, northern regions of Boukoku after all. Yibbles, on the other hand, was not so lucky. But Kamui had fashioned an outfit for the piglet, who currently looked like a little waddling ball of fur. Gathering up his weapons and rutsack, Kamui threw the cloak back over his shoulders and pulled up the hood. Picking up Yibbles, he made his way out of their little nook, the wolfdog at his heels.

Looking around, it seemed that they were nearing their destination at last. He moved to the side of the ship to look out over the side. Before them lied the vast, stark landscape of Ísing. And somewhere beyond, the massing Frost Giant tribes. A serious expression fell over his face. He hated the thought of war, but hated even more the thought of standing idly by if there was some way he could help. He had friends among the Elves of Eria, and would do what he could to protect them, or whoever else the giants were planning on invading. After a moment of watching the icy wastes drift closer, his nose twitched. Mostly he had kept to himself, although he had picked up on several interesting scents aboard the ship. Glancing around, he noticed a few of them were nearby, and his expression shifted to a curious one.

He raised an eyebrow when one of them asked to touch the other's cloak. But then he shrugged. It did look soft and fluffy. "...Can I touch it, too?" He asked, casually, taking a step closer to the pair. Meanwhile, Yibbles had wiggled out of his grasp, and had half shuffled, half rolled across part of the deck. The piglet was going nowhere in particular, lost in its own little world as usual. Not really paying any attention, Yibbles bumped into a dark haired, pale woman.

[Kai]

Kai had been busily ignoring the rest of his companions, his keen eyes taking in the seemingly endless range of glaciers ahead of them. White. There was just so much white. He wished he could have said he’d felt even a hint of belonging, looking at the icy wasteland, but the truth was he felt indifferent. It was just another dot on the map. Pari had been wrong. Sighing gently, the half-demon became suddenly aware of someone approaching to his left. He wrinkled his nose involuntarily.

Augh. It smelled… wrong, somehow. Pale gaze sliding to the stranger, he arched an eyebrow, looking thoroughly unimpressed, and seemed bemused as to how he should answer. It was an unexpected question. The stranger was young, younger than he thought anyone on a death ship to Ising had a right to be, but that wasn’t what concerned him. “I… er…” He stumbled over the words, but luckily rescue seemed to show up at that moment. Kai turned to the other stranger, wondering how he had suddenly become so popular. But rescue turned into more awkwardness. He was just here to kill Frost Giants, dammit.

“No, I… I mean…” He sighed and rubbed tiredly at his eyes. “Sure, go ahead,” he conceded eventually, glancing over his shoulder to the deck to avoid looking at either of them. Well, it wasn’t as if he could escape anywhere, he thought to himself. The ship was practically a prison, and the only other option was the freezing waters and the glaciers beyond, neither of which seemed appealing when he was alone. His eyes caught a young woman a short distance away, and a furry… ball… at her heels. A crisp breeze tugged at the hood of Kai’s cloak, but it didn’t blow it down, thank goodness. He sniffed at the air. Huh. Bacon.

[Amaya Ashikawa]

The creature was lucky that Amaya didn’t step on it, or kick it for that matter. Her gaze flickered down to the waddling ball of fur, eyebrow arching in confusion. “What in Syrunn are you?” She mumbled, reaching down to grab the creature by what she assumed to be the scruff of the neck, lifting it up from the ground so she could examine it more closely. She wrinkled her nose up under the kerchief at the stench of the thing, looking even more bemused when she realised what had just bumped into her. “You are a piglet in a jacket? I think the meat would just be fresher if they let you freeze.” She rolled her eyes, glancing up to scan the deck to see who the creature belonged to. Odd as it was, it had to be someone’s pet for it to be dressed in such a fashion.

It was then that she caught onto the ‘can I touch it’ conversation. From piglets in blankets to people wanting to stroke one another? Just what sort of quest had she got herself involved with here? Surely Syrunn had a little more to offer in the way of warriors than…well…this…? It looked like she would be out there killing the Frost Giants on her own.

“If you are done petting one another…” She began after crossing the deck to the little group, the piglet secure in the crook of her arm, “I think I found your pet. I would suggest you keep a closer eye on him if you don’t want him ending up as bacon.” She assumed the pig belonged to the man in the shaggy cloak; their furs matched and he was the only person she had seen so far with any pets with him. How the piglet was going to fare in the frozen wastelands was beyond her, but that was none of her business.

“I hear there are great white bears out there in the snow. Perhaps you should go find one of those to pet and leave the poor man alone.” She added as she noted the man in the white cloak’s discomfort. Saviour of small animals and polite men; Amaya really was a saint today.

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[Malus Grimm]

Grimm stared at Kai blankly, not really catching the social cue of discomfort. The Reaper turned slightly, as the other stranger approached them asking the same question. His blue eyes flicked over Kamui. "Hm?" He glanced sideways at Kai again as the man finally had decided it was all right to touch the coat. The man's pale fingers ran over the cloak gently, before he looked utterly satisfied. "It's so soft." He murmured quietly.

As his hand fell away, another had approached. Grimm turned around, facing Amaya. If he was surprised to tell she was dead, it didn't show on his face. He glanced at the piglet in her arms, bemused by the awkward clothing it was wearing. Grimm peered curiously at the woman's pale face, and smiled crookedly. "Great white bears?" He mused. "But that's not fun." He said with a shrug, before sidling up next to the vampire. "Aren't these covers just....stuffy?" He whispered. The Reaper pet the little piglet, before moving against the side of the boat once more.

"Oh.." Grimm rubbed the back of his head. "It's so cold...outside.." He said, pretending to shiver again. "Yeah. Really cold." He added quietly.

[»Kamui Syvil VII]

"Ahh, it is soft." Kamui commented, running his fingers over the man's cloak. Sakurako, silently observing, rolled her eyes at the proceedings. Though, unlike Grimm, Kamui wasn't oblivious to Kai's discomfort. "Aha, sorry." He gave a small laugh, "Thought it'd be an interesting way to break the ice, so to speak. Name's Sy. That's Sakurako." He introduced themselves to both men, then added, "Feel free to touch mine, if ya' want."

"Hm?" He turned when a woman approached them, holding Yibbles. "Oh! There you are." He took back the piglet, "Sorry, sorry. He's a little ditzy sometimes. Thank you for finding him, miss." He took a moment to observe his new-found companions. None of them were human, not fully, by their scents and auras. Should they end up together, it was going to be an interesting journey tracking down the Frost Giants. He grinned slightly. "Bears, huh? Those'll be the least of our worries."

Hearing a shout, he turned to see that some of the ship's crew looked to be preparing for disembarking. There was no pier with which to use a normal gangplank, but the sailors were setting up a few rope ladders off the side of the ship, and rigging a pulley system for the various supplies the passengers had brought. Before moving off in that direction, Kamui curiously asked the other three, "Have any of you been to Ísing before?"

[Kai]

Kai arched an eyebrow at the young, pale woman’s comment, wrinkling his nose and trying to hide it when her scent drifted along after the baco—er, the piglet. Did everyone on this ship just stink? He was drawn out of his wondering with her comment, looking instantly awkward. “I wasn’t,” he began, but by then he’d caught the young man’s observation beside him. “Er, yes… it is,” he told Grimm, not knowing what exactly the protocol here was. “As for great white bears, I think they’d appreciate being petted just as little as I do.”

He conjured a light smile as the orange haired man on his other side apologised and introduced himself. “Kai,” he supplied for his name, glancing down at Sakurako for a second. He held the wolfdog’s stare for a moment or so, as if recognising something communal in the two of them, but he didn’t linger on it. Deckhands were beginning to unroll the long rope ladders for their departure. His pale gaze found Grimm one last time at his apparent attempt to be cold. He was already unnerved by the young man, and this wasn’t helping. “I am going to walk away now,” he told him quietly, turning to head across the deck, the soft white cloak flaring with the breeze.

“I was born here,” he said in response to Kamui’s question. “If you count that being here before. But I left when I was very young. I hardly remember it. Let’s go, before they pull the ladders back.” He joined their other disembarking passengers, other warriors, mages and the gods knew what else already conversing and joking about how many of what they were going to kill, and the like. Kai pulled himself over the side of the ship and began to climb down.

[Amaya Ashikawa]

“The covers are called clothes. They are less stuffy and more civilised. If you’d prefer to frolic through the snow butt naked just make sure you stay away from me?” The smile that Amaya flashed to Grimm was totally false, though she was very careful not to show her teeth’ she was not some tacky baby vampire who went around flashing their fangs at everyone. Somehow, however, she doubted that Grimm would realise that the smile was false. “Cold? Really? Whatever gave you that idea? I thought that all the snow and ice made this sunbathing weather.” Alright, so she didn’t feel the cold either, but at least she wasn’t doing a terrible job at acting human. Oh, she needed to find something to kill before she punched someone.

“He found me.” She murmured to Kamui, huddling back up in her cloak when he took the piglet back, still looking pretty bemused by the creature. “Rain.” She murmured as they all exchanged their names. No, she was not telling them her real name, and no, she didn’t plan on telling any of them anything about herself. She wasn’t here to make friends, she was here to run away from her problems and kill a few frost giants, maybe save Syrunn in the process.

“Being born here makes you the most experience one out of all of us.” Amaya murmured as she followed them across the deck to the ladders. Not that she paid any attention to the ladders; she vaulted over the side of the ship, landing lightly on the ice down below. Well, she never said that she was fully playing human. “Hurry up, I want to find a Frost Giant before everyone kills them all!” She called back up over her shoulder, cracking her knuckles. Well, the four of them were obviously sticking together even if they weren’t the most fearsome bunch in Syrunn.

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[Malus Grimm]

Grimm nodded. "Covers, clothes, same thing." He shrugged, sticking his gloved hands into the outer fur layer pockets. "I never said I wanted to run around naked.." He murmured, staring blankly as she smiled at him. He didn't seem to notice or care that Amaya's smile was false. "You're not very nice." Grimm remarked quietly, at the dead woman's sarcastic comment. He supposed it was possible she was mean due to being dead and all that. That said, the Reaper couldn't blame her entirely. People and their emotions.

The Reaper leaned against the side of the ship, watching as the crew worked to prepare to disembark. "Oh. Grimm." He responded as everyone introduced themselves. His sharp blue eyes flicked from the ship, to the snowy, icy ground they were to climb down too. Grimm followed the others, across the deck towards the ladders. However, he only vanished and reappeared on the snow, behind everyone.

"I've been here a few times." He commented softly, following closely behind Amaya, the dead woman. "Though...for different reasons." Grimm added, recalling the last time he had come to Ísing. A keeper had found a trapped soul. It hadn't been a pleasant visit, as he was certain this visit probably wouldn't be. After all, he was here to pass the dead on from this 'adventure' as they had been calling it.

[Kai]

((Hey Kamui! It’s been about two weeks so we decided to push on with the RP if that’s okay? :L Sorry to skip you, but you can feel free to drop back in whenever you get back!))

Kai quirked an eyebrow to himself as he climbed down the ladder to the frosty ground. Rain and Grimm. Great. He was on a journey with the weather and an emotion. Even so, the half-demon did glance up at the dark blur that went whistling past him as he descended. Showoff, he thought to himself, but as he watched Amaya land, Grimm was already behind her. As if he’d vanished. Geez. Kai touched down on the snow a few moments after them, weaving around the clusters of people to join them.

“Then you’re probably more experienced than I am,” he told Grimm quietly, catching the tail end of their conversation. He looked uncomfortable all of a sudden, glancing over his shoulder at the other passengers. Well, he didn’t really have the option to hide away anymore, and being bundled up in the fur was screwing with his senses. Reluctantly, he pushed the white hood back, his hair ruffled instantly by an icy breeze. Two large, canine ears instantly flicked up, having been flattened against his head. Snowy white, black at the tips and infinitely more fluffy than his cloak, they twitched about at the new sounds, Kai looking immediately more alert.

He glanced between his new companions, trying not to make a big deal of it. “So… where do you want to start? Most people are heading that way.” He nodded further inland.

[Amaya Ashikawa]

“I’m not very nice. Nice doesn’t get you very far.” Amaya shrugged a shoulder to Grimm, unaffected by the comment. She wasn’t here to make friends; she was here to run away from her problems. Still, it seemed that their quirky little group was planning on sticking together. She jumped ever so slightly as Grimm appeared behind her, whipping around to face him, arching an eyebrow at him in confusion. What kind of a creature could teleport? Her skin prickled uncomfortably, but she held her tongue. The ‘what are you’ question could lead to a very awkward explanation from her. People in glass houses shouldn’t throw rocks.

“You have been here a couple of times? I was under the impression people don’t usually come here. There isn’t very much to see.” There was nothing to see, nothing as far as the eye could see. All the white was a little unnerving; how were they meant to find their way back to the ship? She turned her attention back to her companions, about to voice her concerns when her gaze fell on Kai. Ears? Demon? This trip just got stranger and stranger. Maybe having a wolf demon (she assumed he was something along those lines) on their side would be an advantage when trying to navigate this frozen wasteland.

“I think we should follow the coast. If we have a line to follow we are less likely to get lost and end up walking around in circles. Maybe we can find a path through those hills rather than trying to trek over them all…” She nodded into the far snowy hills in the distance, watching everyone else fan out. “Unless you would rather follow the others?”

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[Malus Grimm]

"I doubt that. I'm almost certain I've been here for different reasons," Grimm answered Kai softly. "You're right about that, though Rain." He glanced sideways at the oddly man, watching curiously as a look of discomfort passed over the man's face. He realized only moments later what had made Kai so uncomfortable - ears, fluffy looking ears. He narrowed his eyes, clearing his throat as they walked.

"They look...so soft." Grimm said, ignoring Kai's question. He smirked awkwardly, before shaking his head. "I agree with whatever you guys say, I don't care." He shrugged lazily. "The others are boring." He responded after a moment. "I want to stick with wolf guy." Grimm said with a grin.

The Reaper said nothing more on the matter, following Amaya and Kai closely. He watched the shore wearily, as the dark, chilly waters lapped on the edge of the icy ground. Grimm seemed to be having difficulty keeping up the charade of being cold. He could feel the chill on the surface of his body, despite the layers he wore. But cold didn't affect a celestial being like it did others. Rather, it was something he chose to feel. He could turn it off and on, or even up or down, regardless of whatever temperature it was around him. The Reaper was preoccupied staring at the vast wintery scene about him. The white was almost blinding.

[Kai]

The revelation of Kai’s demonic heritage was not met with torches and pitchforks, for which he was grateful, but then again with a ragtag group like theirs, he shouldn’t have really been surprised. “Whatever the reason, I don’t remember much about this place,” he murmured, glancing around at the departing groups, and the ships preparing to sail back into warmer waters. More ships would undoubtedly arrive soon, but Kai would rather be away from the people.

“The coast?” He sniffed at the air, gazing back at the other passengers, and wrinkled his nose. His nose would be a deal less reliable around all of those people. “I got no objection to that. Through the hills, then. We should be able to make good distance before dark. I could scout ahead, but the ground is pretty flat here… There’s not much to see.” He frowned in the distance, falling into step with his new companions and staying well back away from the freezing looking waters. He didn’t want to get anywhere near them, thanks; the trip on the ocean had been long enough.

He arched an eyebrow at Grimm, fighting the smirk that tried to ghost across his face. “Er… thanks,” he mumbled at the mention of his ears. “Why would you come here?” He asked curiously after a moment’s thought, gazing around the icy wasteland, wondering vaguely if the wolves would still be there. His eyes fell on Amaya briefly, before dancing away again in the hope that she hadn’t caught him staring. She still smelled off, but it wouldn’t be prudent to bring that up.